Aug 26, 2026 | National J-KOA Board Meeting August 2026

Attendees: Koya, Eric, Danielle, Alex

Excused: Toni, Andrea

Notes (Please note that due to Toni’s inability to attend, this meeting’s minutes were AI generated using Zoom’s annotations)

• Organizational Vision — 5-Year Goals

  • Independent 501(c)3 status identified as the shared top priority across all board members — currently operating under ACC fiscal sponsorship in a transitional state.

  • Branch expansion target: Danielle proposed growing from 3 to 5 branches at a rate of roughly one per year to remain realistic; Koya endorsed this as a modest, sustainable goal. 

  • National brand recognition: Andrea articulated the vision of J-KOA becoming a nationally recognized nonprofit, noting the team has both the potential and motivation to scale country-wide.

  • Publications as proof of impact: Koya proposed publishing a methods paper documenting the student-centered mentorship model — demonstrating that J-KOA cultivates internal motivation in students who then go on to execute independent science projects.

    • Example outcomes to feature: students developing projects like plastic decomposition research (Dakari's mealworm study), community health access solutions, and similar self-directed work. 

    • Regional presidents will not be burdened with IRB or survey logistics; a dedicated national team will handle the process and simply distribute surveys through branches.

  • Core philosophy reaffirmed: J-KOA's model is the inverse of typical organizations — rather than hiring people around a product, J-KOA brings people in and lets them define their own mission, with J-KOA providing inspiration, resources, and community. 

  • Community hub goal: Eric emphasized building J-KOA into a self-sustaining community hub encompassing outreach, mentorship, communication, and teaching — not just science fair support.

• Branch Updates

  • Bay Area KOA

    • Second outreach event completed successfully at a larger library; attendance was roughly equal to or slightly greater than the inaugural event, which was itself a win given the venue size. 

    • Event format: Large-group lava lamp demonstration followed by individual student-led replications that kids took home; same structure as the inauguration event.

    • Experiment failure turned teaching moment: The large demo experiment did not produce the expected result, but the team reframed this during debrief as an authentic science lesson — science doesn't always work as expected.

    • Parent engagement highlighted as a standout success: parents were actively included in the Q&A and teaching segments, not treated as passive observers. 

      • Eric noted this aligns with TEKS program goals around longitudinal commitment — engaged parents help sustain student participation over time. 

      • Koya noted this also gives J-KOA organic community access: parents talk to friends, reducing the "door-to-door" outreach burden that plagues many nonprofits. 

    • Library interest: The host library expressed enthusiasm and interest in hosting future events.

    • Thomas (former TEKS mentor): Attended the event, participated actively, and is highly motivated to remain involved — his enthusiasm after seeing J-KOA operate for the first time was noted as particularly validating. 

      • Background: Thomas approached Koya after TEKS concluded last year asking about a California branch; Koya connected him, and he joined.

    • Inauguration held:Bay Area branch officially inaugurated; Andrea delivered a speech and read from Koya's reflection.

    • Thomas to serve as Historian for the Bay Area branch; will need access to the branch email account.

    • Upcoming: Considering adding a science lecture segment at the start of future events to extend programming.

    • Key metric for now: Track number of students reached per event to demonstrate organizational capacity to future donors and partners.

  • Aurora's KOA

    • Parent-teacher pre-TEKS meetings officially scheduled for both Boston and ASD locations. 

    • First outreach event scheduled for Boston; AST declined, noting they already have outreach covered.

    • Block party at Anschutz: Signed up to table at the campus block party for mentor recruitment

      • Oscar has a tent link secured

      • registration fee status being confirmed (Koya noted it may be ~$50–55, and past precedent has sometimes waived it). 

      • Koya advised Alex to confirm with Tessa Carlson, who knows J-KOA well and can clarify the fee situation.

      • President's email sent to board announcing the start of the season.

      • Historian would like access to the branch email account and Discord (Toni to facilitate Discord access).

• Legal & Compliance Structure

  • Multi-State Operations

    • Confirmed: J-KOA does not need to register as a nonprofit in every state it operates in — Colorado registration is sufficient for multi-state operations.

    • Board member residency: Board members are not required to be Colorado residents. 

    • State selection rationale: Most nonprofits choose incorporation state based on tax rules; the board consensus is to remain in Colorado for simplicity, with the option to revisit later. 

  • Fundraising Restrictions

    • Colorado-only fundraising events: Legally, nonprofits may only host fundraising events in their state of registration — meaning formal fundraising events must be held in Colorado. 

    • Out-of-state donations: Individuals in other states (e.g., California) can still donate directly; this is legally permitted as long as it is not structured as a fundraising event.

    • Gray area: Compliance officer (Laura) will confirm exact parameters around Andrea's California branch fundraising capacity

  • 501(c)3 Incorporation

    • Professional Advisory Council recommendation: Incorporate sooner rather than later; however, this requires significant legwork and legal fees.

    • Bylaws status: Current bylaws are solid but Koya wants an additional legal review before filing.

    • Legal fees: Koya will begin pulling together funds when the board decides to move forward; one contact may be able to do it pro bono.

    • Address for Colorado 501(c)3 filing: Koya is moving, so a new address is needed; AWC's new community space is a candidate, pending their confirmation in early September. 

      • Koya prefers not to use Anschutz office space, to preserve J-KOA's identity as a community-based (not university-affiliated) organization. 

  • Compliance Officer

    • Laura (in Koya's network) confirmed as the incoming compliance officer; she is a deputy director at a public health agency and brings relevant regulatory experience.

    • As an officer (not a voting board member), she will advise but not vote.

    • Koya will verify meeting notes to confirm whether her appointment was formally voted on previously.

• AWC Community Space Opportunity

  • Aurora Wellness Community (AWC) is renovating a vacant building into a shared community office/event space and invited member organizations to submit a wishlist for the floor plan.

  • Space description: Large open floor with two concrete pillars, mirrored walls, kitchen, bathrooms, and dedicated office alcoves; intended to be modular and versatile.

  • J-KOA's potential use: Mock science fair space, community parent events, branch programming; Eric and Koya both advocated for a modular open floor design.

  • Timeline: ~7 months for renovation — aligns well with the next Aurora KOA presidential election cycle, making it a natural priority for the incoming president rather than the current one.

  • 501(c)3 address possibility: Koya asked AWC about using the space as J-KOA's registered Colorado address; AWC will respond by early September.

  • Koya will share the floor plan PDF with the board so everyone can contribute ideas.

• Background Check Process

  • Unanimous vote (5–0): The proposed background check framework was approved provisionally, pending Toni's confirmation on workload and a final review by the compliance officer.

  • Framework Details

    • Email list addition: Does not require a background check (to be confirmed).

    • One-time/single outreach events: Background check likely not required — training module sufficient (to be confirmed; may be conditional).

    • Consistent/recurring school engagement (e.g., TEKS mentorship): Background check required.

    • Schools may conduct their own background checks, which could satisfy J-KOA's requirement since the school bears liability — Koya will confirm with insurance agent.

  • Process flow:

    • Regional director identifies volunteers needing checks → notifies Eric (National President)

    • Eric compiles a master list → sends to National Historian (Toni)

    • Toni conducts background checks → results returned as "cleared" or "not cleared"

    • Cleared volunteers: National Historian notifies regional historian for recordkeeping

    • Not cleared: National Historian communicates directly with the individual (keeping HR function centralized)

  • Cost: Approximately $8 per background check through the state; may increase if additional forms for working with minors are required. 

  • Cost allocation: Background checks fall under the national budget, not regional budgets, since one national person conducts all checks. 

  • Training module: Eric developed a youth interaction training module prior to last TEKS season; he will locate it, share with Koya, and upload to the J-KOA folder for broader access.

  • HR responsibility split: Toni is the appointed HR lead; Koya, Toni, and Danielle need to discuss whether the background check workload should be shared between Toni and Danielle.

• Budget Planning

  • Process & Timeline

    • Danielle is consolidating all budgets for approval at the next meeting.

    • Regional presidents (Alex, Andrea) must submit line-item budgets to Danielle by September 15 (Danielle is unavailable September 1–14).

    • Budget approval vote will occur at the next board meeting.

    • No spending by regional branches until budgets are formally approved by the national board; exception made for Alex's block party given small dollar amount and imminent timing.

  • Aurora KOA — Colorado Budget

    • Requested total: ~$3,000, including room for possible Wi-Fi hotspots or laptops (previously requested items).

    • Line items proposed:

      • Storage: $700–$800 (up from $600 last year; current rate is ~$57/month).

      • TEKS program: $1,000 

      • Outreach: $1,000

      • Remaining buffer for tech equipment

      • Science fair registration fees: Budgeted within the grant; Alex confirmed this is already covered. 

      • Background check estimates not needed for Alex's budget (covered nationally), but Alex should provide a rough headcount estimate before TEKS starts so Eric can prepare in parallel.

  • Bay Area KOA — California Budget

    • Rough estimate: Similar to last year; less than half of last year's allocation was spent, so carrying over the remainder is preferred.

    • Line items identified so far: Outreach supplies, merch.

    • Treasurer role: Andrea will self-serve as treasurer for now; Koya recommended delegating this informally to the outreach director (who already compiles supply lists), to avoid overloading Andrea.

    • Background check estimate to be included in submission to Danielle

  • National Budget

    • Confirmed line items:

      • Liability insurance renewal (~$1,500; Koya to confirm if rate is fixed or variable, and whether additional coverage like terrorism insurance is needed)

      • Website launch fees

      • Background checks (centralized under national)

      • National merch (branch-specific merch falls under regional budgets)

      • Social media / communications budget (Danielle to consult Toni on amount) 

      • Reserve target: Minimum 10% contingency fund across all budgets. 

      • Fiscal sponsorship fee: ACC automatically deducts 10% from incoming donations; already built into the structure, not a separate line item. 

      • Spending philosophy: Koya emphasized that donors expect funds to be deployed — branches should spend close to their full allocation creatively (e.g., pipettes, journal access, survey participant payments) while maintaining the 10% reserve.

  • DMSF / Legacy Account

    • Estimated balance: ~$2,000 remaining in the legacy DMSF account.

    • Access constraint: Only a student with access to the reimbursement portal can draw from it; Danielle cannot access it directly.

    • Recommendation: Use remaining funds for science supplies (poster board, lab materials, skeleton project kits) before the account lapses or becomes inaccessible.

      • Eric noted this would free up national budget funds for other uses, such as paying study participants ($10/survey).

    • Action: Danielle will search emails involving Abhishek to reconstruct expenditures and estimate the remaining balance; Koya will cross-check with invoices from the J-KOA account.

    • Eric offered to meet with both KOA presidents and their outreach/mentorship teams to gather a supply wish list and draft a DMSF spending budget.

• Onboarding & Access

  • Drive access: Koya to grant both Andrea's and Alex's boards access to the shared drive (volunteer email list and resources).

  • Branch email accounts: Historian for each branch to receive email account access — Thomas (California) and Alex's historian (Colorado).

  • Discord access: Alex's historian to be added; Toni handles Discord permissions. 

  • Website: Andrea raised the need for a California branch website; Koya advised consulting Toni first to ensure consistency across branches (single domain vs. multiple subdomains to avoid unnecessary costs).

  • Consistent meeting schedule: Eric requested establishing a fixed recurring meeting day (e.g., a specific Saturday each month) rather than ad hoc scheduling; Koya agreed to set this up.

  • Expense tracking: All treasurers must communicate with Danielle once budgets are approved; Danielle will provide Excel tracking templates.